The Mirrormaker

Lisa Arsenault is an elementary-school teacher in Ajax.

Lazaro is a 16th-century former mercenary hired by the Venetian
government to guard the secrets of the city’s all-important glass
industry. He also moonlights as a special agent, and occasional
assassin, for a prominent German merchant with extensive business
interests in Venice. He has links with the city’s Jewish population
and with the Knights of St. John in Rhodes, and participates in the
defence and eventual defeat of the Knights by the Moslems. Throughout
his adventures, he must contend with the “Lords of the Night”—the
official assassins of the city-state of Venice.

Given the Byzantine twists of the plot, the historically exciting time
period, and the exotic settings of Venice and Rhodes, this should be an
absorbing tale. However, it is marred by weak characterization and
unconvincing dialogue. Depths in Lazaro are alluded to but not plumbed;
there are indications that he is more than a street thug, but his
redeeming qualities are not developed. The author is much more
successful at evoking setting, as he brings a slice of Venice’s
turbulent history to vibrant life.